After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 168 - Don’t Worry, Stealth Is My Specialty

Beneath the Dragon Platform, Li Zijing’s face twisted in a mix of embarrassment and fury as he watched He Ange receive the Empress’s personal favor.

The embarrassment came from his failure to properly drape the dragon robe, forcing the Empress herself to intervene and adjust it for He Ange.

The fury stemmed from his own experiences—despite having participated in numerous celestial ceremonies as a celestial servant, the Empress had never spoken more than a word to him, let alone personally adjusted his attire.

At some point,

An elder with sharp eaglelike eyes and an air of authority appeared behind Li Zijing.

“That boy—is he the Dao companion of the Destined Heroine, and junior brother to Celestial Servant Luo Yi?”

“Master, you... you’re here too...” Li Zijing quickly stepped aside, bowing respectfully to make way for his mentor, a secondrank celestial minister.

The elder stepped forward, his sharp gaze scanning the young prodigies adorned in dragon robes on the platform. He nodded slightly, as if committing their faces to memory.

“Master, that boy—he’s the one who humiliated me at the family gathering in Dragon Capital. And now he’s defiled the purity of Destined Heroine Luo Yi...” Li Zijing lowered his head, his cold eyes filled with resentment.

The elder chuckled bitterly:

“The Destined Heroine is a treasure in herself. Among Dragon Dynasty’s senior ministers, many have their eyes on her... But for now, none have had the opportunity to act.”

“I heard that even the Feathering Sect’s Divine Transformation elder failed recently?”

Li Zijing frowned with concern.

The elder nodded and sighed: “That old fool ran into Celestial Minister Shi. He can only blame his bad luck. If it had been another minister, perhaps things wouldn’t have been handled so cleanly... If it were me, I’d at least claim a share of the Destined Heroine’s gifts.”

“Master... If you act in the future, please don’t forget your disciple!” Li Zijing bowed deeply, his cold eyes gleaming with ambition.

“Zijing, you’re still too young. Your mindset doesn’t match your cultivation. You’ve already reached halfstep Nascent Soul peak, yet you’re still preoccupied with such trivial desires... Have you ever considered whether the Destined Heroine has even glanced at you once? What are you pining for?”

The elder cast a disdainful glance at his disciple before stroking his beard and speaking loftily:

“Ice spirit veins, Abyssal Pearl, destiny’s fortune, icebound celestial bones, dragon’s soul aura, ice elemental essence... Every one of these gifts on the Destined Heroine could elevate a Divine Transformation cultivator to new heights. And yet your mind is stuck on mundane lust?”

“You’re right, Master. My mindset is unworthy.” Li Zijing lowered his head in shame.

“Go into seclusion and cultivate. There’s still time. When you reach Nascent Soul peak, I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

“Yes.”

…

Sealing Grounds.

With the Empress’s departure, many celestial ministers and dragon generals followed suit.

On the grand plaza, as the prominent figures left, the sealing ceremony began to wind down.

Descending from the dragon platform, He Ange walked side by side with Xu Xin.

“From today onward, we’re officially recognized disciples... According to Dragon Dynasty law, we’re technically seventhrank celestial servants now!”

The greenhaired girl in her goldenthreaded dragon robe beamed with excitement.

Becoming a celestial servant of Dragon Dynasty—upholding justice and righteousness—had always been Xu Xin’s lifelong dream.

Now, she had taken her first step into Dragon Dynasty’s ranks. In the future, she would undoubtedly become an indispensable force for justice across Huaxia’s nine provinces.

Beside her, the whiterobed youth in his dragon robe smiled faintly:

“If you want to rise quickly through the ranks, you’ll need to show your master some filial piety. With Celestial Minister Shi’s resources as a firstrank minister, she could easily assign you tasks that would earn great merit.”

“I already spoke with Master...”

Xu Xin lowered her head with a hint of frustration: “But she told me to focus on cultivating and reaching Foundation Establishment perfection before taking on any major tasks.”

“That makes sense. With only early Foundation Establishment cultivation, it’s hard to handle difficult missions.”

“Ugh... I know...”

As they conversed, He Ange descended from the platform.

Walking toward the back of the plaza, it wasn’t long before he spotted two figures waiting for him: a silverhaired celestial maiden in her goldenthreaded dragon robe and a blackhaired celestial minister in her dark gold dragon dress with phoenixlike eyes exuding elegance and authority.

“Sister, Master—I’ve completed my task and returned successfully.”

The youth bowed respectfully to both women.

Xu Xin followed suit.

Qin Shiyan nodded slightly before calling Xu Xin over and assigning her some minor tasks. The girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she bowed deeply to her master before leaving happily.

After sending Xu Xin away with some trivial errands, Qin Shiyan led An Luo Yi and He Ange to a secluded pavilion.

This pavilion was still within Dragon Dynasty’s territory but served as Qin Shiyan’s private garden.

Inviting them to sit down, Qin Shiyan crossed her legs beneath her skirt and gracefully poured three cups of wine from a ceramic jug. She slid two cups toward He Ange and An Luo Yi.

In her love for drinking, Qin Shiyan bore some resemblance to the Fox Clan’s sacred maiden.

No wonder they were master and disciple—even their pouring techniques were similar…

He Ange couldn’t help but note this amusing thought in his mind.

“He Ange, Luo Yi—among this year’s newly appointed celestial servants, His Majesty has high hopes for both of you.”

Qin Shiyan raised her cup and spoke solemnly.

After taking a sip of wine, she lowered her phoenixlike eyes and continued earnestly:

“You’ve likely heard about Shengxu Sect’s elder Li Daoyuan. Now that the public trials are over, it’s time for me to officially assign this task to you.”

“Of course, there are other celestial servants ranked third to fifth involved... But they can’t infiltrate Shengxu Sect. The internal investigation will rely on you two.”

With that, Qin Shiyan retrieved two imperial decrees from her sleeve and handed them to the young pair across from her.

He Ange accepted one of them. As he opened it, golden characters projected into the air—imperial script personally written by the Empress herself. Just reading it filled him with awe and an urge to kneel before its divine authority.

However,

Dragon Dynasty was a nation of cultivators. Its rules weren’t overly rigid. In the absence of the Empress herself, celestial servants weren’t required to kneel; reading while seated was perfectly acceptable.

“My task seems different from Sister’s?”

He Ange glanced at An Luo Yi’s decree and noticed that her golden characters differed from his own.

At the same time, An Luo Yi curiously leaned over to look at He Ange’s decree.

Qin Shiyan sipped her tea before explaining:

“The decrees are different because your strengths differ.”

She first addressed the whiterobed youth:

“He Ange—you excel in illusions and stealth. Your primary task is to monitor Elder Li Daoyuan’s movements in secret. This doesn’t require roundtheclock surveillance; during the day, Shengxu Sect’s disciples serve as natural informants. Any suspicious activity by Li Daoyuan won’t escape our sect’s eyes.”

“But at night—to avoid alarming him—this plan isn’t disclosed to other inner disciples. You’ll be responsible for nighttime surveillance. Based on current intelligence, if Li Daoyuan is colluding with demonic sects, it would likely occur during the early hours.”

She then turned to the silverhaired celestial maiden:

“As for An Luo Yi—you’re skilled in swordsmanship and combat. Your task is simpler: protect He Ange. Unless ordered otherwise by Dragon Dynasty, you don’t need to apprehend Li Daoyuan. Just ensure He Ange’s safety. Don’t follow him within Shengxu Sect; only accompany him outside sect grounds when he might encounter danger.”

“Understood,” An Luo Yi nodded slightly. Glancing at He Ange beside her, she felt a surge of protective instinct.

During their time in the Fox Clan secret realm, she hadn’t been able to protect him properly. But after their intense dual cultivation sessions posttrial—and her tireless efforts since—An Luo Yi had advanced significantly in strength.

With her current cultivation bolstered by the Abyssal Pearl, she believed she could hold her own against even early Divine Transformation cultivators—and wouldn’t be easily overpowered by midstage ones either.

As a Destined Heroine,

An Luo Yi was determined not to fail in protecting He Ange this time.

Meanwhile,

He Ange nodded slightly as he accepted his orders.

But beneath his composed exterior,

A flicker of cold calculation glimmered in his eyes. He was already planning how to use Elder Li Daoyuan as leverage to steal the ancient scroll Feng Yuan desired from Shengxu Sect’s forbidden grounds.

As for fulfilling the True Dragon Empress’s expectations?

He was sorry—but that wasn’t part of his plans.

If forced to choose between Feng Yuan and Dragon Dynasty,

He Ange would unhesitatingly side with Feng Yuan.

His bloodline and path had already determined his allegiance.

“He Ange...”

Watching the solemnfaced youth in his dragon robe, Qin Shiyan couldn’t help but murmur with concern.

Although Shengxu Sect seemed relatively safe—and An Luo Yi would protect him outside its grounds—there was always a risk when dealing with someone like Li Daoyuan.

Ultimately,

As the one tasked with frontline surveillance,

He Ange faced the greatest danger of all.

With this in mind,

Qin Shiyan spoke earnestly:

“He Ange—while Dragon Dynasty values dedication above all else—remember: your life comes first. If you suspect Li Daoyuan has discovered your actions, abandon your mission immediately and have An Luo Yi guard you at all times. Do not act recklessly!”

“If you endanger yourself recklessly—I won’t forgive you!”

Her tone was heavy; her phoenixlike eyes flashed with seriousness. She didn’t want him treating this mission lightly.

An Luo Yi shared her sentiment,

Both women staring at him intently made He Ange let out an awkward smile.

Shrugging confidently,

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He patted his chest: “Don’t worry! Unless absolutely necessary—Li Daoyuan won’t even know I exist!”

…

Later That Night

Shengxu Sect Forbidden Grounds—Daoyuan Temple

In the dead of night,

A whiterobed youth kicked open the sealed stone door without hesitation—locking eyes with an elder inside who was cultivating demonic arts.

“Yo?”

“Old man—practicing demonic arts here?”